Combine speed skating with an obstacle course and you get Crashed Ice, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2015.

The race sees some of the world's top downhill skaters negotiate a frozen course littered with obstacles, while hitting speeds of up to 60 mph.

The Minnesota event will be the first in a series of eight taking place in 2015.

"The sight of extreme athletes careering down an ice track outside Saint Paul's iconic cathedral is an awe-inspiring spectacle -- and one great big party," says Terry Mattson, president of Visit Saint Paul tourism.

Thailand's massively popular Songkran Festival -- held in celebration of the new solar year -- is basically one nationwide water fight.

But it didn't start out that way.

Originally, families and friends celebrated Songkran by visiting temples and pouring water on each other's hands and Buddha statues as a blessing, to start the year filled with good luck.

Though these traditions continue, over the years people started to engage in water fights in the streets -- a welcome form of relief given that April is the hottest month of the year.

Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, has a reputation for holding the wildest Songkran festivities.

Though Thailand's New Year celebrations are the most well known, attracting tourists from around the region, Songkran is also celebrated in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.

Cheung Chau Bun Festival

Dates: May 22-26

Where: Hong Kong

During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) a plague killed thousands of people on Cheung Chau, an island south of Hong Kong.

Islanders built an altar, performed Taoist rituals and burned effigies in an effort to drive off the evil spirits they believed were to blame -- their efforts are remembered with the annual Cheung Chau Bun Festival.

It's named after the most popular event, which sees locals scramble up a bamboo tower and collect as many "lucky buns" as possible.

"The Bun Scrambling competition is the only one in the world," points out Mr. Yung Chi-ming, chairman of the Cheung Chau Bun Festival Committee.

Milan will host the Universal Exposition for the second time in 2015 (it first hosted the event in 1906).

The theme is "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life," and there's been a huge amount of urban regeneration going on in preparation for the expo, much of which has been overseen by Italian architect Massimiliano Fuksas.

Must-sees are expected to be the Future Food District, where visitors can find out how food will be produced, distributed, prepared and consumed in the future, and the Arts and Foods exhibition, which takes a look at everything from food packaging design to the aesthetics of kitchen utensils.

Jeff Koons might be an American artist -- famous for his quirky reproductions of everyday objects -- but in 2015 the best opportunity to take a closer look at his work comes at an exhibition in the UK's beautiful Norwich Castle.

"This will be the biggest Jeff Koons exhibition in Britain for a decade and an unmissable opportunity for visitors to see the work of such an important, influential and fun artist," says William Galinsky, artistic director of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival.

"It's the only chance to see his work in the UK in 2015."

Singapore's Golden Jubilee celebrations

Happy 50th, Singapore.

Andrew Tan

When: August 9

Where: Singapore

Singapore celebrates 50 years of independence in 2015, with events being held throughout the year.

But the best time to visit is on August 9 for National Day, as this year's celebrations are expected to be bigger and better than ever.

There will be fireworks, parades, shows, youth rallies and the opening of a new walkway from the Civic District to Marina Bay.

Hiroshima/Nagasaki Memorial

When: August 6 and 9

Where: Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan

If you've ever wanted to visit Japan to learn more about its World War II history, now's the time to go.

The year 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the U.S. bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Memorial events will be held in both cities on August 6 and 9, while a number of special arts projects will be held throughout the year.

Though the 2016 Olympics in Rio are hogging the spotlight, Brazil is hosting a smaller but arguably much cooler event in 2015 -- the first World Indigenous Games in Porto Nacional.

More than 2,000 athletes from indigenous groups from more than 30 countries will be traveling to the municipality of Porto Nacional to take part in a wide range of disciplines, including archery, javelin, tug-of-war, canoeing, log racing, wrestling, football, xikunahati (headball), swimming and other athletics.

Though the games have taken place for more than 10 years, this will be the first time the event is open to athletes from outside Brazil.

Charleville is regarded as a major international center of puppetry and has one of the world's top marionette schools.

At this annual event, 150 professional troupes from as far afield as Burma, Mali and Jordan put on up to 50 shows a day.

"The event is a huge celebration and of great importance to locals, because the region has such a long tradition with puppets and marionettes -- or les petits comediens, as we like to call them," says local restaurant owner Guy Barbara.

"The excitement builds before the grand parade, and then there are 10 days of fun on the pavements and sidewalks of Charleville. There really is nothing quite like it anywhere else in the world!"

Munich's Oktoberfest hogs the limelight when it comes to beer festivals, but the Cannstatter Wasen (Stuttgart Beer Festival) is becoming a worthy rival.

The event lasts for two weeks and first took place in 1818.

It's the world's second largest beer festival.

In addition to numerous beer tents, there's a huge Ferris wheel, carnival rides, live music and

plenty of sugared almonds -- a Stuttgart specialty -- to soak up the alcohol.

Rugby World Cup 2015

When: October 3, 9 and 10

Where: Newcastle, UK

Another one for sports fans.

One of 2015's biggest sporting events, the Rugby World Cup will hold three of its most important matches in Newcastle.

"The Rugby World Cup is the third biggest sporting event in the world and it will be the largest sporting event in England next year," says Eric Fry, a member of the American team who also plays for Newcastle's local rugby union team.

"Some of the best teams in the world will be playing at St. James' Park, including New Zealand -- the current world champions."

Mexican Grand Prix

When: November 1

Where: Mexico City

In 2015, Formula 1 will return to Mexico for the first time since 1992.

The big racing event will take place on Mexico's Day of the Dead, when family and friends gather to pray for friends and family members who have died.

The course is incredibly historic.

The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit was named after two racing driver brothers, Ricardo and Pedro Rodriguez, and has also hosted several NASCAR events.

There's no better way to finish the year than with a visit to one of the largest New Year's Eve parties on the planet.

Almost 100,000 people will attend the annual Hogmanay event, which is manned by 1,000 volunteers.

It begins with a torchlight procession involving more than 25,000 locals, led by Shetland's Up Helly Aa Vikings, with their pipes and drums, and culminates atop Calton Hill, when more than five tons of fireworks will blast into the sky.

On New Year's Eve, as many as 100,000 people will take to the streets to sing "Auld Lang Syne" -- apparently the biggest and loudest rendition of the song in the world -- and party.

Live footage from the celebration is beamed to more than one billion people in 150 countries.